June Jobs

JUNE

Ornamental Garden:

• Lightly trim box balls – traditionally on Derby Day 6th June!! Would be nice to encourage the box topiary to grow larger while retaining the shape.
• Deadheading – salvia’s as the flower heads go over, penstemons, roses etc.
• Consider spraying any plants infected with aphids or black fly with SB Plant Invigorator.
• Weed!!!
• Prune early flowering clematis.
• Cut back foliage of tulips.
• Trim other shrubs to shape as necessary.
• Plant warm season grasses such as penisetum and panicum.
• Treat bindweed/groundelder and other invasive weeds growing among other plants by applying a glyphosate based weed killer to their leaves.
• Prune ornamental cherries after their flowers have faded.
• There is still time to sow quick germinating annuals such as cosmos.
• Sow winter bedding such as violas etc.
• Cut back oriental poppies/pulmonaria etc after they have flowered. Remove all leaf as well to allow for fresh leaves to sprout.
• Remove reverted shoots form variegated shrubs etc.

Vegetable Garden:

• Direct sow carrots for autumn and winter harvest.
• Sow Florence fennel and chicory.  
• Plant out leeks once they are pencil thick.
• Mulch strawberries with matting or straw.
• Water potatoes for good sized tubers.
• Feed tomatoes with regularly.
• Ventilate greenhouse.

Written by: Alex Bell, www.alexbellgardendesign.co.uk